العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolTHE QUEEN'S OWN RIFLES OF CANADA
'The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada' are a militia regiment within the Canadian Forces, based in Toronto, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only Primary Reserve regiment in Canada to have a parachute role. The regiment consists of the Reserve Battalion, the Regimental Association[1] and The Regimental Band.[2] The official abbreviation is QOR of C, but they are often abbreviated simply as QOR.
The QOR parades out of Moss Park Armoury in downtown Toronto and Dalton Armoury in Scarborough every Wednesday night. The unit motto is "In Pace Paratus"- In Peace Prepared.
Regimental structure
The Reserve Battalion is made up of the following companies:
★ Battalion Headquarters
★ 60th Company
★ Buffs Company
★ Victoria Company (Combat Service Support)
★ Para Company
Role
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada are the only militia regiment in Canada that participates in parachuting exercises. The unit has qualified Parachute Instructors and jumpmasters. Members also take courses in helicopter operations, aerial delivery, and as LZ/DZ (landing zone/drop zone) controllers. Members of the QOR have also been sent on the arduous Patrol Pathfinder Course. Qualified personnel in jump positions are allowed the honour of wearing the maroon beret. Trained soldiers are addressed as Riflemen.
The Queen's Own Rifles have had a long standing support role with the Canadian Parachute Centre, recently incorporated into the new Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre. Several reserve units have soldiers who have completed the Canadian Army's Basic Parachutist Course, but none can bring Parachute Instructors, Jumpmasters, parachute riggers, LZ/DZ controllers, and aerial delivery specialists together like the QOR. They also send many parachute instructors and jumpmasters to assist with parachuting courses. Most members of Para Company jump several times a year, as opposed to parachutists in other reserve units who do not have the option to jump with their units.
The Canadian Forces SkyHawks Parachute Demonstration Team has also had support from the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, with several members joining the elite demonstration team.
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada has sent volunteers on overseas tours to UNTAG (United Nations Transition Assistance Group) Namibia 1989 -1990 , Cambodia , Cyprus, Somalia for Operation Deliverance 1992-1993 members were attached to the Canadian Airborne Regiment in 1 Cdo , 2 Cdo & 3 Commando, Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.
History
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (originally named '2nd Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada') was formed on April 26, 1860, predating the Confederation of Canada. It is Canada's oldest continuously-serving infantry regiment.
The Queen's Own Rifles first saw combat during the Battle of Ridgeway. The Second Boer War was the first time that soldiers from the Queen's Own Rifles fought on foreign soil. They were recognized for their service and earned a Battle Honour for the regiment, even though they were not allowed to wear the QOR cap badge in South Africa.
The regiment also saw combat in both World Wars and the Korean War, as well as during conflicts after these wars.
In 1970, the First Battalion of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada was rebadged to reform the Third Battalion of the PPCLI.
From 1983 to 1995, the regiment was operationally tasked to provide an airborne company to the Canadian Airborne Regiment.
The unit played a large role in securing the Victoria Cross of Corporal Frederick George Topham in 2005.
On April 22, 2006, the QOR opened Dalton Armoury in Scarborough as part of the Land Force Reserve Restructure expansion. Buffs Company parades out of Dalton Armoury. According to the unit's regimental history, during September 1910, the QOR went on a 13 mile route march with The Buffs (East Kent) Regiment. It was noted that the Buffs and QOR used the same regimental march, a tune known as ''The Regimental Quick Step of the Buffs'' composed for The Buffs by Handel. A regimental alliance was made official in 1914.
Battle Honours
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada have earned 46 battle honours over its 146 year history. The battle honours in 'bold' are approved to be emblazed on the Regimental Colours. Note that this is the name of the battle honour, and is not the name of the actual engagement.
Early Years
★ 'North West Canada 1885'
★ 'South Africa 1899-1900'
World War I
★ Ypres, 1915
★ Gravenstafel Ridge
★ 'St. Julien'
★ Festubert, 1915
★ 'Mount Sorrel'
★ 'Somme, 1916'
★ Pozieres Ridge
★ 'Flers-Courcelette'
★ Ancre Heights
★ Arras, 1917
★ 'Vimy, 1917'
★ Arleux
★ Scarpe, 1917
★ 'Hill 70'
★ Ypres, 1917
★ 'Passchendaele'
★ 'Amiens'
★ Arras, 1918
★ Scarpe, 1918
★ Drocourt-Queant Line
★ Hindenburg Line, Battles of
★ 'Canal du Nord'
★ 'Pursuit to Mons'
★ FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1915-18
World War II
★ 'Normandy Landing'
★ 'Le Mesnil-Patry'
★ 'Caen'
★ Carpiquet
★ 'Bourguebus Ridge'
★ Faubourg de Vaucelles
★ 'Falaise'
★ Quesnay Wood
★ The Laison
★ 'Boulogne 1944'
★ Calais 1944
★ 'The Scheldt'
★ Breskens Pocket
★ 'The Rhineland'
★ Waal Flats
★ 'The Hochwald'
★ 'The Rhine'
★ Emmerich – Hoch Elten
★ Deventer
★ NORTH-WEST EUROPE 1944-45
Important engagements
★ Battle of Ridgeway, Fenian Raids, 1866
★ Battle of Cut Knife, North-West Rebellion, 1885
★ World War I
★
★ St Julien
★
★ Hill 70
★
★ Passchendaele
★
★ Mount Sorrel
★
★ Amiens
★
★ Somme, 1916
★
★ Fleurs-Courcelette
★
★ Canal du Nord
★
★ Pursuit to Mons
★
★ Vimy, 1917
★ World War II
★
★ Normandy Landing
★
★ Le Mesnil-Patry
★
★ The Scheldt
★
★ Caen
★
★ The Rhineland
★
★ Bourguebus Ridge
★
★ The Hochwald
★
★ Falaise
★
★ The Rhine
★
★ Boulogne, 1944
Victoria Cross recipients
★ Cpl Colin Barron (as member of 3CEF, needs verification)
★ Lt G.F. Kerr MC MM (as member of 3CEF, needs verification)
★ Sgt Aubrey Cosens, VC (May 21, 1921 - February 26, 1945)
Colonels-in-chief
★ HM Queen Mary (1928-1953)
★ HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (1960- )
Famous members
★ Barney Danson served with the regiment in Normandy and later served as Minister of National Defence.
★ Ben Dunkelman - Promoted through the ranks from Private to Major during World War II
★ Major-General Lewis MacKenzie, C.M., CMM, MSC (and bar), O.Ont , CD, (born 30 April 1940) is a retired Canadian general and writer. MacKenzie is most famous for establishing and commanding Sector Sarajevo as part of the United Nations Protection Force or UNPROFOR in Yugoslavia in 1992.
★ Captain John McCrae is remembered for his poem ''In Flanders Fields''. He was a member of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada while studying at the University of Toronto, during which time he was promoted to Captain.
★ Alexander Muir - author of "The Maple Leaf Forever," fought at the Battle of Ridgeway
★ General Sir William Dillon Otter (3 December 1843 – 6 May 1929) KCB, CVO, VD was the first Canadian-born Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Army.
★ Major-General Sir Henry Pellatt, C.V.O., D.C.L.,(6 January 1859, Kingston, Ontario, Canada - 8 March 1939) was a well-known Canadian financier and soldier
★ The Right Honourable Vincent Massey was appointed Governor General of Canada in 1952. He was the first Canadian appointed to the post, and since then the Governor General has always been a Canadian citizen. Massey Hall in Toronto was named for his family.
Regimental museum
The Regimental Museum of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is located on the third floor of the historic Casa Loma building. Sir Henry Pellatt, who built Casa Loma, was an ardent supporter of the Regiment, and was knighted in 1905 for his service with the unit.
Regimental Church
St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican Church in Toronto has been the regimental church of the QOR since 1910. It is located at 227 Bloor Street between Church Street and Jarvis Street.
The Cross of Sacrifice located outside the Church is dedicated to the members of the QOR that have fallen. It was built and dedicated after the First World War.
The Books of Remembrance are a list of the names of the QOR fallen, and are located in the interior of the Cathedral. The Books are paraded annually on Remembrance Day Sunday, when the Regiment parades to St. Paul’s to attend services.
Alliances
Current Alliances
★ - The Rifles
★ - The Royal Gurkha Rifles
★ - The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
Order of precedence
See also
★ The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces
★ Military history of Canada
★ Riflemen
★ Paratrooper
★ Parachuting
★ SkyHawks Parachute Team
★ Maroon beret
★ Parachute rigger
★ Pathfinders
References
1. http://www.qor.com/association.html
2. http://www.qor.com/band/band.html
Regiments.org page of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
External links
★ Official Website of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
★ Juno Beach - The Queens Own Rifles on D-Day
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
